Cipollone wrote that it “cannot fairly be expected to participate in a hearing while the witnesses are yet to be named and while it remains unclear whether the Judiciary Committee will afford the president a fair process through additional hearings”.

“More importantly, an invitation to an academic discussion with law professors does not begin to provide the president with any semblance of a fair process,” he added.

Legal experts were expected to appear at Wednesday’s hearing to discuss the historical and constitutional precedents of impeachment, and in his letter, Cipollone hinted that the White House considers it a minor session, underlining the hearing “will include no fact witnesses at all”.

However, he did not rule out that the White House would attend future hearings, and said they would give an answer on the matter before the Friday deadline.

On Monday, House Intelligence Committee members are expected to begin reviewing a draft report on Trump’s efforts to enlist Ukraine to investigate a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, while aid to that country was being withheld.

The panel will vote on the report on Tuesday, sending it to the Judiciary Committee to weigh articles of impeachment.

The Judiciary Committee’s hearing Wednesday is its first on the matter, and it will hear from a panel of experts on what constitutes an impeachable offence.

The committee plans to announce those witnesses on Monday, an aide said.

Trump and his Republican allies have questioned the impeachment process, characterizing some witness testimony as second- or third-hand and complaining that they haven’t been able to call witnesses.

But the White House has blocked from testifying current and former Trump administration officials who were part of the direct discussions on Ukraine policy.

Read Today’s ePaper

Follow Us

Asian Lite International is now the fastest growing Asian newspaper in the the UK and AE. Besides the print editions, we publish online digital editions from the UAE and USA. We are the first publication to identify the potential and promote the contributions of Asian professionals to the world economy.